Date of Award

Spring 2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Joshua D. Henson

Second Advisor

Dr. Jennifer L. Carter

Third Advisor

Dr. Jimmie J. Chambers

Abstract

The long-term effects of the COVID-19 crisis among helping professionals such as physicians, law enforcement officers, and clergy remain unknown. The strain and enormous stress encountered by these professionals are profound and concerning (Benham et al., 2020; Greene et al., 2020; Stogner et al., 2020). In this study, the researcher explored the effects of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) on career commitment among helping professionals including physicians, law enforcement officers, and clergy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the findings provided insight on the general causes and effects of burnout including possible solutions to counter its effects. Additionally, the researcher examined the causes, effects, and potential solutions regarding burnout for each of the participating helping professions. The data for this quantitative study were collected through a survey completed by 484 participants located in two southwestern states in the United States. This study contributes to the body of literature by confirming a relationship between burnout and low career commitment for the aggregate sample, and by confirming that the three factors of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) significantly predicted scores of low career commitment. Further, the findings revealed that there are statistically significant differences in levels of the three factors of burnout and career commitment between the three professions.

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